The Potter Family Curse
by The Lilac Elf of Lothlorien
Summary: AU! 17 Years ago, Death Eaters used an old curse on the Potter family to permanently harm Harry and his siblings. But after Harry succumbs to the curse, his sister, Jessica, unknowingly stumbles on the key to undoing the effects on her brothers and sisters.
1. Chapter 1

AUTHOR'S NOTES: This story came out of a little nugget of an idea I had and with snow reaching 'Arctic Tundra' levels where I live I figured I might as well start writing the story. Usually my 'disabledHarry' stories kick off with something happening to Harry but in this story, his family and friends are trying to keep something from happening to him. Also, as far as the names of Harry's siblings, I actually went through a good few before finding names that sounded good with 'Potter'.

STORY SUMMARY: 17 years ago, Death Eaters used old magic to place a curse on James and Lily Potter. A curse that Harry longs to beat. But with his brother and sisters already affected, how long can The Boy Who Lived hold out before fate catches up with him?

AU! James and Lily are alive and Voldemort is gone for the moment. (Not sure if I'm going to write it as Voldie's REALLY dead yet.)

* * *

HARRY POTTER: The Potter Family Curse

Chapter 1

* * *

Harry Potter groaned as he heard his brother's alarm clock go off at 9am. Opening one eye, Harry looked over at his brother, hoping he'd shut the alarm off quickly.

In the bed on the other side of the room, Dominic reached out a hand and after a moment, hit the 'off' button and slowly sat up, throwing back his blankets before getting up. Like Harry, he had black hair which stuck up in all directions like their father, James. But while Harry's eyes were a bright green like their mother's, Dom's were a cloudier green—the result of a potions accident when he was in his second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry which had blinded him.

After putting on his glasses, Harry watched his brother make his way towards the bathroom and close the door before getting up himself. After using his sisters' bathroom, Harry headed downstairs and checked to what cereal his father had left for breakfast. After grabbing a box from the pantry, Harry poured himself a bowl of cereal and had just put the box away when his oldest sister and Dominic's twin, Adele, came down the stairs.

Adele also had black hair, but instead of it being unruly, it was just past shoulder-length and curly. Her brown eyes always seemed to have some sort sparkle in them and it was said that only the Weasley twins—Fred and George—were more mischievous. Three weeks ago she had been working with the twins on some new Quidditch moves and had fallen off her broom after a midair collision. Numerous attempts to heal her daughter's broken arm had been unsuccessful and Lily Potter had been forced to take Addie to a muggle hospital for treatment.

As Harry grabbed milk and a spoon, his eye was drawn to the cast on Addie's right arm that went almost up to her shoulder. Her ring and pinkie fingers were also encasted, as was her thumb and this morning Addie also had her arm in a sling. "Sleep alright?" Harry asked as Addie grabbed the bread on the counter for toast.

"Other than the throbbing, stabbing pain in my arm, yeah," Addie replied, irritably. Turning to Harry, she saw that her younger brother had lowered his head, abashed. "Sorry, Harry. What about you?"

"Slept fine," Harry replied. "Where's Mum and Dad?"

"Late night, I suppose," Addie shrugged as she grabbed her toast. "Jessica and Isabelle were still in bed, too, last I checked."

As Harry finished his breakfast, Dominic came down the stairs, holding a white cane out in front of him while he had his other hand on the banister. "Morning, Dom," Harry said, brightly.

"Morning," Dominic said in return as he made his way to the kitchen. After pulling out his wand and starting toast and tea, he turned to head towards the kitchen table.

Just as the kettle whistled, the three Potter children heard the rest of the family moving about. From the first floor bedroom, James and Lily emerged looking tired but awake. While James finished toast, eggs, and bacon for everyone, Lily finished making tea.

"Jess! Izzy! Breakfast!" Lily hollered upstairs.

"We're coming, Mum!" Jess said as she slowly made her way down the steps. Leaning on elbow crutches, Jessica wasn't usually perceived as pretty, even considering that she looked almost exactly like her mother, although her eyes were hazel instead of straight green or brown. She was tall and had what might have become a dancer's grace if not for the brace she wore on her right leg which went almost up to her hip. She'd been born with debilitating malformations of the ankle and knee and her parents had been baffled when magic had no effect. For the first 8 years of her life she'd been in and out of muggle hospitals and had endured 5 surgeries to try and fix her leg. But even now at 15 she had limited function of her right leg and it was only with the leg brace and the crutches that she was even able to walk at all.

Behind Jess, Izzy looked tired and when she said 'good morning' to her family, her voice was very soft and hoarse owing to the tracheostomy tube inserted into her lower neck. Born premature, Isabelle's throat had been prone to collapses and when she was 4 years old the trach tube had become a necessity. A few specialized charms had allowed Izzy to be able to speak but she couldn't talk very loudly and her voice was fairly hoarse.

As James and Lily ate, they couldn't help thinking about their children's various disabilities. Somehow, for some reason, Dominic, Adele, Jessica, and Isabelle had all endured some sort of severe injury. Lily hoped that Adele's broken arm would heal properly but there was a part of her that wondered if Adele would end up with some sort of permanent damage.

The only one who—for the time being—had escaped the family curse was Harry. Sure, he'd had some bumps and bruises at Hogwarts but never any injuries to the degree his brother and sisters had.

Last night, James and Sirius had paid Albus Dumbledore a visit at Hogwarts, hoping to shed some light on what was happening to James' family.

The news hadn't been good. Dumbledore had consulted Severus Snape, Hogwarts' potions master, who had quickly identified the curse as a very old spell which made permanent the first severe injury someone incurred.

There was no known counter-curse and there was no way to predict what sort of injury would become permanent.

xx

After breakfast, Harry went up to his room to finish his summer assignments while Dominic and Adele went with their parents to Diagon Alley.

Izzy and Jess had opted to go visit the Weasleys—Jess was convinced Ron had a crush on her—and since James was reluctant to leave Harry alone he had called Sirius over.

"Enjoying the quiet?" Sirius asked, popping into Harry and Dominic's room.

Harry looked up before turning back for a moment to finish the last few lines of his Herbology essay. "Sirius, where were you and Dad last night?" he asked, setting his quill down and turning to his godfather.

"Talking with Dumbledore," Sirius replied, sitting on Harry's bed. "James and I thought he might be able to help us figure out what happened to your brother and sisters."

"And?" Harry asked, eager to hear the news.

Sirius was reluctant to tell Harry but knowing that his favorite godson wouldn't like it if he lied, Sirius said, "There's an old curse that was popular amongst the Death Eaters back in the day. A dark witch or wizard would cast the spell over a pregnant woman and from that moment on, all of her children would be cursed."

"But what would the curse do?" Harry asked, thinking. "I mean, Dom, Jess, Izzy, and Addie all have different disabilities."

"That's what the curse does," Sirius explained. "The first serious injury a witch or wizard receives will result in permanent damage."

"What about Jess and Izzy?" Harry asked, wondering how the curse applied to them. "Mum said that their disabilities were congenital."

"Dumbledore still thinks they were caused by the curse," Sirius replied. "They were just affected more than they might have been otherwise." After a moment, he added, "Your father's worried about you, Harry. There's no way to tell when the curse could affect you. It could be devastating."

Harry nodded in understanding. "So whatever happens, there's no way to heal the injury?"

"Harry, I want you to take extra special care this year at Hogwarts," Sirius warned.

"I will, Sirius," Harry promised. "I always try to stay out of trouble. You know me."

* * *

September 1st was a cool, cloudy day as James and Lily bustled about trying to get everyone ready to leave. It was always something of a production getting everyone ready for the school year and Lily wanted to make certain that Izzy would be able to handle the daily care of her trach tube as it was her first year at Hogwarts.

Once they were all set and the van was loaded with various bags and trunks, James bustled everyone in and headed down the road.

Sitting next to Izzy, Harry gave her a smile. "You'll love Hogwarts, Iz," Harry assured her.

"What about spellwork?" Izzy rasped.

"Ahh, you'll just have to focus your magic a bit more," Dominic said with a shrug. "You'll be fine, sis. If I can make it to my 7th year without being able to see you should have no trouble at all."

"Are you sure?" Izzy asked, nervously. Actually, she'd been working the past few years on honing her non-verbal spells with her mother's guidance but performing the occasional spell at home was one thing. Doing magic in front of teachers who would be grading you was another.

"You'll be great, honey," Lily said from the front seat.

"Just remember," James said with a smile. "Snape's a git, History of Magic is the best class for a nap, and mouthing off in McGonagall's class is a sure-fire way to get detention."

"It'll be fine," Lily said again as she gave James a look. "And don't forget: you can owl us if there's any problems."

xxxxxx

Once at King's Cross station, James took Izzy through the barrier between platforms 9 and 10 first while Lily followed with the trunks, Jess, and Adele. Harry and Dominic brought up the rear and once through the barrier, Dominic headed for the train while Harry looked around for his friends: Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Neville Longbottom.

"Harry!" Jess said as she turned to see Harry just standing around. "Come on!"

Harry nodded in his sister's direction and got on board the Hogwarts Express, heading down the train until he finally spotted Ron, Hermione, and Neville.

"Harry," Hermione said, happily as she jumped up from her seat and rushed forward to hug Harry.

"Hiya, Harry," Ron said, grinning. "We were wondering where you'd got to."

"Mum was going over some stuff with Izzy," Harry explained as he put his bag in the overhead storage. "How was your summer?"

"Gran and I spent the summer in Spain," Neville replied, grinning. "It was great. Ron's summer was quiet, though."

"Until Fred and George got caught flying Dad's car back from London," Ron said with a laugh. "Not sure who Mum was more mad at: The twins or Dad."

"How was your summer, Harry?" Hermione asked.

Harry looked at his friends for a moment and then closed the compartment door before telling the others about what Sirius had said about the 'Potter family curse' just as the train started pulling away from the station.

"So Sirius thinks you're next for this curse?" Neville asked, looking slightly afraid.

"That's rotten luck, mate," Ron said, frowning.

"Ron, it doesn't mean something's going to happen to Harry right away," Hermione said, trying to put a positive spin on the situation. Turning her attention to Harry, she added, "You said Adele only got hurt this summer, right?"

"Yeah, and she just turned 17," Harry said, cheering up.

"Harry, all you have to do is just be a bit more careful this year," Hermione advised.

"Oh, is that all?" Ron asked with a wry laugh. "Come on, Hermione."

"I'm serious, Ron," Hermione insisted. "If Harry can get through this year—"

"And what about next year?" Neville asked. "Hermione, the kind of curse Harry's talking about isn't something you can beat. It'll find him eventually."

"Maybe it already has," Ron said, hopefully as he thought of something. When Harry looked confused, Ron pointed at Harry's forehead. "Your scar, Harry!"

"You're right, Ron," Neville agreed, brightening up. "Harry's the only one to survive the Killing Curse."

Harry's hand went to the lightning shaped scar on his forehead—the result of a failed curse when the dark wizard, Voldemort, had tried to kill him when he was barely two years old. For some unknown reason, Voldemort had only been after him, rendering his parents unconscious before attempting to kill him.

The next morning, when James and Lily had discovered what had happened, they had quickly taken their children to the old summer house in Potters Bar in London where James' parents had taken him every year.

No amount of spells or potions had ever completely healed Harry's scar and as Harry now thought about it, he wondered if the scar was what injury he would always carry with him.

xxxxxxx

The sun was starting to set as the train drew closer to Hogsmeade station and the last rays of sun had vanished by the time Harry and his friends emerged from their compartment dressed in their school uniforms. Looking around, Harry found his brother and sisters and after they were all in one of the open carriages they finally headed towards Hogwarts Castle.

x

While Izzy went to join the other 1st years, Harry, his friends, and his siblings headed for the Great Hall and found seats at the Gryffindor table.

Once the rest of the students were seated, everyone turned their attention to the front of the room where an old, patched hat sat upon a small wooden stool.

Turning her attention to the first year students, Professor Minerva McGonagall withdrew a roll of parchment and said, "When I call your name, you will sit on the stool and place the Sorting Hat on your head. The Hat will call out the name of the House you will be sorted into." Looking at the list, she read off the first name. "Parker Abrams."

The list went alphabetically and after what felt like ages, the Potters all leaned forward as McGonagall called, "Isabelle Potter."

Dominic tensed, waiting to hear where his little sister would be sorted. He imagined Harry, Jess, and Adele looking to see if they could make out what the hat was saying or if Izzy was whispering something. He regretted that he had never seen any of his siblings' Sortings but he knew that there was nothing to be done about it.

Finally, the Sorting Hat called out, "GRYFFINDOR!" prompting cheers from the Gryffindor table.

Once Izzy had sat down between Ron and Harry, she smiled as the others congratulated her.

x

When the Sorting was completed, Dumbledore stood to address the students. "Welcome, one and all, to another year at Hogwarts. First of all, I would like to introduce Gilderoy Lockhart who will be taking the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts."

Harry groaned when he saw the so-called 'famous' wizard. Lockhart was rumored to have defeated numerous foes but Harry doubted very much that any of the tripe written in his books was true. The man looked like he'd never spent a day doing any hard work in his life.

But Hermione, Ginny, and many of the other girls at the table were sighing dreamily as they stared up at him.

When the feast began, Harry grabbed a bowl of his favorite potatoes and started to fill his plate with food. But while everyone dug into their plates and chatted with friends, Harry was preoccupied with his own thoughts and he unconsciously rubbed his scar again. Something felt amiss this year and he couldn't put his finger on what it was.

* * *

A/N: Potters Bar is the name of a real town in London. I thought it sounded fitting.


	2. Chapter 2

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I've provided some background on Dominic, Adele, Jessica, and Isabelle Potter along with details of their disabilities. Hope this helps answer some questions.

Chapter 2

* * *

_Dominic_

_5 Years Ago_

Dominic Potter was _not_ afraid of Severus Snape. Oh, he knew he should be but Dom refused to be intimidated by a teacher who dressed like an oversized bat with greasy black hair.

It was nearly Halloween and while the rest of the students in his year were looking forward to the Hogwarts feast, Dom was more focused on finishing his essay for Potions before class began. Finishing the last few lines, Dom quickly stashed his quill and ink away just as Snape burst into the classroom.

"I do not recall giving you permission to be in the classroom early, Potter," Snape said, his tone icy.

"Wasn't hungry so I figured I'd get in early and finish my essay," Dom replied, handing over the roll of parchment.

Snape snatched the roll from Dominic's hand and swept over to his desk, reading the young man's essay as he went. Turning sharply towards Dom, Snape frowned. "Why would you add chamomile to a potion to remove boils?"

"It helps reduce redness to the affected areas of the skin," Dom replied, simply. "It also keeps the potion from stinging when applied to more… sensitive areas."

Snape didn't reply as he finished reading over the essay. Grabbing his own quill he quickly scrawled something at the top of the parchment before handing it back to Dom.

Dom gave the professor a quick nod as he looked at the 'acceptable' written at the top of the essay. When the other students began to come into the room, Dom shoved his essay back into his bag and pulled out his ingredients and small cauldron.

Sitting next to Adele in class, Dom watched as she carefully chopped her herbs and added them to the bubbling cauldron. While Dom liked the Potions theory just fine, he was always nervous about actually brewing the potions. Adele, on the other hand, was just like her mother in that she seemed to be able to mix just about any potion from memory.

Going to grab a fresh package of wormwood from the student stores, Dom had just walked past one of the other stations when there was a sudden small explosion and clouds of thick smoke started billowing up from the cauldron. Getting a face full of smoke, Dom started coughing and he backed away quickly as his eyes started burning as though someone had sprayed him in the face with acid.

Tripping over someone's bag, Dom fell backwards, cracking the back of his head against the stone floor and losing consciousness.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Dominic knew that he had regained consciousness only because he could feel his head throbbing and his eyes burning still. But beyond that, he didn't know anything about where he was or how long he'd been out. Raising a hand to his head, he felt a thick turban of bandages. His eyes were covered by bandages as well and Dom suddenly wondered how bad he'd been hurt.

"Dom," a young, female voice said, sounding relieved. "It's me."

"Addie," Dom said, happy to have his sister there.

"I'm right here," Adele assured her brother as she sat on the edge of the bed after Dom sat up. "It'll be okay, Dom."

Touching the back of his head, Dom winced as his fingers lightly probed the tender area. "How long was I out?"

"A few days," Adele replied, taking his hand. "Mum and Dad are talking with Dumbledore and Madame Pomfrey."

Hearing the slight catch in Adele's voice, Dom sat up a bit more, ignoring the monstrous headache building. "How bad?" When she didn't reply, Dom asked her again. "Adele, how bad is it?"

"You had really bad chemical burns to your eyes from the smoke and fumes," Adele explained. "The head injury didn't help."

Dom didn't say anything for a while—not until he heard his parents' voices as they gathered around his bed. "What now?" he asked, wanting to know what would happen to him.

"Adele told you what happened?" Lily asked, sitting on the edge of her son's bed. When Dominic nodded, Lily sighed and squeezed his hand. "Madame Pomfrey said she tried everything possible. But there's no way to fix the damage caused by the burns and the head injury."

As the weight of the news started to come down on him, Dominic tried to think of what his family was telling him. He was blind. He couldn't see and likely he'd never be able to again. "What about school?" Dom finally asked. How could he do magic if he couldn't see what he was doing?

"Dumbledore said he'd start helping you adjust," James replied. "There's no reason you can't stay at Hogwarts, son."

Dom nodded, but he wasn't quite sure if he shared his parents' confidence in his future at Hogwarts.

* * *

_Jessica_

When Jessica was born 15 years ago, Lily and James were shocked when they saw her right leg. Her knee was bent the wrong way and the bend of her ankle was far to sharp for an infant. After Jessica was cleaned up, the healers immediately went to work trying to correct the malformations to Jessica's leg but nothing worked.

Two months later, James and Lily ended up taking Jessica to the Rowena Medical Complex—the only hospital in Europe which combined magical and muggle medicine—for treatment.

After getting magical scans, x-rays, and MRIs of Jessica's leg—Dr. Elise Brennan, the chief pediatric orthopedic surgeon, and Gail Halleck, the head healer at the hospital—met with James and Lily in the children's ward of the hospital.

"Mr. and Mrs. Potter?" Dr. Brennan said as she walked up to the two who were standing next to Jessica's crib.

"Yes?" Lily replied, looking up hopefully.

"I'm Dr. Brennan," Elise said, before indicating her companion. "This is Gail Halleck. We're handling your daughter's case."

"Oh," Lily said, softly. "Can you help her?"

Gail hesitated for a second before she replied, "Typically in a situation like this we would magically sever the limb before using potions to regrow the leg."

Lily looked horrified at that news and looked imploringly at the healer and doctor. "There has to be something else you can do besides cutting off Jessica's leg."

Elise looked patient as she said, "We won't be doing an amputation, Mrs. Potter. With Jessica's resistance to magical healing, we'd likely be unable to regrow her leg. Meaning that your daughter would need to use a prosthetic later on."

"We will, however, still need to operate on Jessica's leg," Gail added. "And likely she'll need further surgery when she gets older."

"What kind of surgery?" Lily asked as she felt James put his arm around her.

"We'll have to essentially fracture Jessica's ankle and knee," Elise replied. "She'll also need multiple screws and pins to make sure that the adjustments are maintained. Afterwards, Jessica will have to be in a lower body cast for approximately 3 months. After a year and a half, we'll double-check the scans and re-evaluate the need for further surgery."

"What do you mean, Jessica will be in a lower body cast?" James asked, not liking the sound of it.

Gail stepped closer to the crib and reached in to show James on Jessica what she was talking about. "Jessica will be in the cast from the upper part of her left leg and her entire right leg up to just below her armpits."

Seeing tears falling down Lily's cheeks as she looked down at her baby girl, James pulled his wife into a hug. "It'll be okay, Lily. It'll be okay."

_7 Years Later_

As they watched Jessica be wheeled into the operating room at the Rowena Medical Complex, James and Lily hoped it would be the last time their daughter needed surgery on her leg. The past 7 years had been hard on everyone and sometimes James thought that he and Lily spent more time in the hospital than at home, especially considering that their youngest child, Isabelle had severe throat problems and had undergone a tracheotomy 3 years ago.

As they sat in the surgical waiting room, Lily didn't look at James until she finally asked, "What's wrong with our family?"

"Jess is going to be fine," James said, although the words had crossed his lips so often that even he didn't really believe them anymore.

"It's not just Jessica, James," Lily sighed, turning to her husband. "It's tragic, what she's been through and if were just her, it'd be one thing. But Isabelle, too? James, it feels like our family is cursed somehow."

James took Lily's hands in his and waited until she looked at him. "Lily, we will get through this, alright? Cursed or not, we're a family and we can deal with this."

Lily closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to draw upon her inner strength as a mother. It hurt her to see her children hurt and thinking of Isabelle and the tube doctors had inserted into her trachea so she could breathe—not to mention the image of Jessica after her last surgery in a full leg cast—just made things worse.

xxxxxxxx

One of Jessica's earliest memories was lying in the hospital when she was about 2 years old, unable to move her lower body except for her left foot.

As she woke up in the hospital after her most recent surgery, Jessica noticed that her right leg was once again in a cast almost up to her hip. She hated being in hospitals all the time and wished she could play like a normal girl her age. But because there was something wrong with her knee and ankle, Jessica couldn't do things like that. In fact, for the past year and a half, she couldn't even walk because of the pain and instability of her right leg.

According to her parents, this surgery should be the last, but Jessica wasn't sure. That's what they'd said the last time, after all.

_3 Years Later_

Physical therapy never got any easier, Jessica thought as she sat in the PT room of the hospital. She'd been doing better lately, though, and it wasn't as painful to put weight on her right leg as she walked, but she still relied heavily on the elbow crutches as her leg wasn't strong enough to bear much weight.

The past year she'd been trying harder to strengthen her right leg but the increased effort hadn't yielded the results she'd been hoping for. As it was, Jessica was only a bit better at going up and down stairs and getting around the house. But the steps at home were one thing.

Being able to navigate the magical staircases at Hogwarts would be an entirely different challenge.

As Jessica worked with the therapists on her leg exercises, she also thought about her brothers and sisters. Just last week, Dominic had been blinded in a potions accident and was now working with a tutor who was helping him learn Braille and how to use his magic without being able to see. And then there was Isabelle who most certainly was having a hard time currently. After several throat collapses, Izzy's doctors had inserted a tube directly into her trachea in order to maintain her airway.

It was certainly a hard time to be a Potter, Jessica decided after a while. As she slowly stood, steadying herself with the crutches, she wondered why her family seemed to be cursed.

* * *

_Adele_

_3 Months Ago_

The only member of the Potter family better at Quidditch than Harry was Adele. James had named her after his aunt who had been the first member of the Potter family to play Quidditch professionally.

Playing on the Gryffindor team as a chaser, Addie was swift and agile in the air, able to quickly dodge her opponents and the bludgers flying about. She'd started playing in her 3rd year and had helped Gryffindor win the Team Cup for the past two years.

On a warm, sunny summer day, Adele was over at the Weasleys working on some new Quidditch moves for the upcoming season. Flying through the woods nearby to evade Fred, Adele looked up just as a shaft of sunlight came through the branches, hitting her square in the eye. Flying upward, she blinked, trying to see where she was going. But as soon as she cleared the treetops, she felt someone collide with her on the right. She felt the bone in her upper arm crack and she lost her grip on her broom, falling towards the ground. Reaching out her hands to brace her fall, her arm smashed into a tree limb and she cried out right before crashing to the ground.

The pain was excruciating as Adele held her right arm to her body. Looking down, she started when she saw that her thumb was bent backward and her pinkie and ring fingers were bent at odd angles. But most alarming was when she felt something odd just below her elbow. Looking at her forearm, Adele felt like she was going to be sick when she saw the blood and the end of the broken bone protruding from the skin.

"Addie!" George shouted rushing over to her. "Oh, God!" He exclaimed, horrified when he saw his friend's arm.

"It's bad," Adele said, breathless. Her heart was pounding and the pain seemed to be getting worse by the second.

"Can you stand?" George asked, going to Adele's left side and bending down to help her up.

"I think… It's just my arm," Adele replied as George helped her back to the Burrow. Once inside the house, George went to find his mother, leaving Adele sitting on the couch, cradling her arm.

When Molly Weasley called using the Floo fireplace saying that Adele was badly hurt, Lily apparated over to the Burrow immediately. After almost an hour of trying to magically heal the injuries, Lily finally helped Adele up and the two of them apparated to the Rowena Medical Complex.

xxxxxxx

Vicki Lars had worked at the medical center for nearly 25 years and in that time had seen her fair share of both the magical and the mundane. Lily Potter was a regular but Vicki was startled to see that she was her eldest daughter, Adele, rather than Jessica or Isabelle.

"Dr. Norton!" Vicki called, seeing Adele's arm. When the doctor noticed the Potters, he hurried over, pushing a muggle wheelchair.

"Have a seat, honey," Norton said, noticing that Adele was also limping slightly. Looking at Lily, he have her a comforting smile. "We'll take good care of her, Mrs. Potter. And Vicki can contact your family and tell them what's going on."

"Thank you," Lily replied, giving her daughter a reassuring smile before she was whisked away to an exam room.

While the healers were able to mend Adele's sprained ankle in an instant, no amount of magic had any effect on her arm. After ensuring that Adele had no other injuries, she was taken to the radiology wing where the healers and doctors took images and scans of her arm to assess how bad the injuries were.

Thankfully, once out of radiology, the doctors had splinted Adele's arm before giving her something for the pain.

"Hi, Adele," Dr. Brennan said as she came into the room the young woman was waiting in. Adele was wearing a set of hospital scrubs instead of the clothes she'd come in wearing and looked like she was trying not to show how much pain she was really in.

"Dr. Brennan," Adele said as she tried to sit up on the gurney she was lying on. But even with the morphine she'd been given, the pain in her arm was impossible to ignore.

"You'll be taken to surgery in a minute," Brennan reported, giving Adele a look. "You'll need multiple plates along with several pins and screws to repair the damage to your wrist, forearm, and elbow. Thankfully, the fracture to your humerus—that's the bone in your arm—was a hairline break and won't require surgery."

"After surgery?" Adele wanted to know. Remembering her sister's surgeries, Adele wondered what it would be like for her.

"We'll put your arm in a cast along with your thumb and fingers," Brennan replied, matter-of-factly. "You'll be in the cast approximately 4 months and then we'll see how you're healing."

"So after about 6 months, say, I'll be fine?" Adele asked, hopefully. She didn't want to think about permanent damage. What if she never regained full use of her arm? How could she play Quidditch with one arm?

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Brennan admonished, although she understood why Adele was asking the question. "The most important thing right now is to fix your arm."

"Right," Adele muttered, knowing the doctor was right. As Dr. Brennan turned to head for the door, Adele asked, "About the cast?"

"Color request?" Brennan asked with a smile as she turned back to Adele.

"Can I get the cast in red and gold?" Adele asked, hopefully.

* * *

_Isabelle_

_Present Day_

On her first day of classes, Izzy approached the Potions classroom with a mixture of resolve and trepidation. For years she'd heard the horror stories about Severus Snape and while part of her doubted any of it was true, another part of her was afraid Snape was even worse than her siblings had said. Once inside the classroom, Izzy chose a seat nearer the back of the room and withdrew her books and potions kit from her bag and set up her things on the desk.

School had never been easy for her, not even in the primary school she attended until this year. The other children stared at the trach tube and made fun of the way she talked. The teachers were often hard on her and didn't seem to understand that she simply _could not_ speak louder in class.

"I don't recall having my classroom door open, Miss Potter."

Isabelle jumped when she heard Professor Snape behind her. When he walked around the desk to face her, Izzy glared at him. "Don't do that," she admonished.

"My door was locked, Potter," Snape said, staring down the youngest of Lily Potter's children.

"I wasn't hungry," Izzy replied. "And Mum told me you wouldn't mind."

Snape didn't say a word for a while as he studied Isabelle Potter. Her red hair had more curl than Lily's and her eyes were hazel but she looked very much like her mother. In fact, he was so focused on Isabelle's face that it was a few moments before his eye was drawn the tube just barely protruding from her throat.

"Could you please not stare?" Izzy asked when she saw Snape's gaze go from her face to her neck.

Snape flicked his gaze back to Isabelle's face and gave her the slightest of nods. Thinking for a moment, he wanted to ask if it would even be safe for Isabelle to be in the Potions class if she had breathing difficulties. However, finding a tactful was of asking was tricky and Snape knew that if he was too blunt Lily would hear about it and—if he was lucky—send a Howler berating him for not being nicer to her children. "Are there any precautions I should be aware of regarding having you in my class, Miss Potter?"

Isabelle nodded and after a moment of rifling through her bag, pulled out the note her mother had given her to give to Snape.

Snape read over the note from Lily and looked at Isabelle again, frowning. "Miss Potter, in this class there are often various vapors and fumes in the air. Given that I do not wish for anything to happen to you, lest your mother find out, we shall have to make other arrangements."

"Like what?" Isabelle wanted to know.

"Learning the theory of potions making is simple enough," Snape replied. "However, you must demonstrate that you possess the skill to combine your ingredients to create a successful potion." Thinking about the situation for a moment, he finally added, "For today, you are excused from class participation. Once the day's lecture is concluded, you may go to the library and work on the assigned homework. Tomorrow, you and I will further discuss your situation with the headmaster."


	3. Chapter 3

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I'm trying to work on the personalities for the Potter kids and maybe it's just because I'm currently fixated on the show 'Supernatural' but I figured that Dean Winchester would be a good base for writing Dominic Potter.

CHAPTER SUMMARY: Isabelle finds a friend in Professor Snape and Harry finally succumbs to the family curse.

Chapter 3

* * *

The next morning before breakfast, Dumbledore summoned Isabelle Potter and Severus Snape to his office. After talking with Snape the previous evening, Dumbledore had spent several long hours contemplating the youngest Potter's situation. While he always strived to ensure that every student who entered the school was treated equally, he had to admit that in the case of Isabelle and Dominic Potter certain special arrangements were necessitated.

But while Dominic's disability presented only a potential danger, when it came to Potions classes, Isabelle could be endangered simply by sitting in the classroom.

Before Isabelle arrived at Hogwarts, Dumbledore had done some research on muggle tracheostomies not only to satisfy his own curiosities but also to ensure that Madame Pomfrey would be able to handle any potential crises. The whole notion was somewhat unsettling, he had to admit, but given that magic had been useless in helping Isabelle, apparently there hadn't been much choice for James and Lily.

When the door to the office opened, Dumbledore looked up to see Snape and Isabelle Potter coming into the room. "Ahh, Severus. And Miss Potter. So glad you could come this early."

Once they were all seated, Dumbledore looked at Isabelle who looked incredibly nervous. "There's no need to be nervous, my dear. Professor Snape and I simply wish to ensure that—given your disability—you are not placed in any potentially dangerous situations while at Hogwarts."

Izzy nodded, although in all honesty, she'd never liked people referring to the tracheostomy as a disability. To her, it was something she'd lived with almost her whole life. In fact it was only when someone called attention to the tube in her throat that she felt self-conscious about it. "So what do we do about my classes?" Izzy wanted to know. She'd been up half the night last night wondering how she'd be able to do Potions classes after her talk with Snape the previous day.

"For the time being, you will come to class to receive your homework and study material for the day and to hand in your finished assignments," Snape replied, an idea forming in the back of his mind. "You will be allowed to use the class time as a study period."

"Is this an agreeable situation for you, Miss Potter?" Dumbledore asked, kindly.

"Yes, sir," Izzy replied. Once she and Snape departed the office, she was surprised when Snape pulled her aside. "Did you want something else, Professor?"

"Merely to ask you a question," Snape replied, simply. "I was wondering if you were versed in sign language."

Isabelle looked a bit surprised at the question but she nodded, set her bookbag down on a window ledge, and raised her hands to reply, **'I learned in my muggle primary school. But I never use sign language much at home.'**

Snape nodded, carefully, as he thought. "Two things, Miss Potter. First, I would like you to join me in my office for weekly Potions tutorials to ensure you do not fall behind in your studies." When Izzy nodded in agreement, Snape added, "Second, I believe it would be beneficial for you to use sign language rather than speaking in casual situations."

Izzy looked surprised at that and after a while, she said aloud, "Why?"

Snape thought for a moment about how best to explain and he finally replied, "Doing some research last night on your condition, I discovered that prolonged speech with the tracheostomy tube can cause further scarring of your vocal cords. Eventually you may become completely mute. It would be best if you preserved your voice for spell work."

Izzy nodded in understanding. **'Understood, Professor.'** As she headed down the hall towards the Great Hall, she wondered why her brothers and sister had always told her horror stories about Snape. He seemed perfectly nice to her…

* * *

For a long time Harry felt like he was always being ignored by his family.

All his parents' attention was focused on his sisters and later his brother. As a result, he always just flew under the radar of interest and concern.

But once he'd started at Hogwarts, James and Lily had become more attentive to Harry and while Harry didn't mind getting the attention for once, there were times he wished that his parents could just go back to ignoring him again.

But now that Harry knew about the curse on his family he understood why his parents had been so worried about him. Why they had always been concerned when he started playing Quidditch and why every injury was fussed over as though it were life-threatening.

But it was just over a month into the school year and everything seemed to be going smoothly. Izzy was showing a real talent for potions and to everyone's surprise, Snape had practically taken her under his wing, showing her some of the potions usually reserved for Ordinary Wizarding Level students.

Harry found it interesting that his youngest sister and his least liked professor got along so well. Even more interesting was the fact that Snape seemed quite well versed in sign language and would usually 'talk' with Isabelle that way during their private lessons. The Potters all knew how to sign—Isabelle's therapist had insisted on it—but for the most part, everyone pretty much just stuck with speaking out loud.

Harry stopped walking suddenly as he headed towards Charms class. He felt suddenly lightheaded and dizzy and it was if his entire body was tingling. It also felt like his previous thoughts were going fuzzy, like lost reception on a radio or something. Harry tried to take a step and then another, finally managing to stagger towards the wall. Harry wasn't sure what was happening and even though he tried to call for help, it was if his voice wouldn't work.

His vision started burring and the last thing he remembered was falling to the floor.

xxxxxxxxxx

"Harry! Harry, wake up! Come on, wake up, Harry."

It seemed to take forever for Harry to wake up. He could hear voices talking to him but he couldn't focus on them. He didn't want to wake up, really. He just wanted to sleep. He felt so weak. Feeling the pull of slumber, Harry gave in and fell back into the blissful darkness.

x

"Harry!" Addie tried one more time, shaking her brother's shoulder with her good hand as he lay unconscious in his bed in the Hospital Wing. "Come _on,_ Harry," she pleaded, anxiously. Looking up at Madame Pomfrey, she asked, "What's wrong with my brother?"

Pomfrey sighed as she finished yet another magical scan. "He's had a seizure. As yet I haven't been able to pinpoint a cause."

Addie sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. "He _is_ going to wake up, though, right?" she asked, hopefully.

"He should," Pomfrey replied, optimistically. "He just needs rest right now."

Adele nodded and reluctantly headed out of the room where Isabelle, Jessica, and Dominic were waiting anxiously.

"It Harry okay?"

"What happened?"

Shushing his younger sisters, Dominic waited for Adele to reply.

"Harry had a seizure," Addie explained. "He's asleep right now but Madame Pomfrey thinks he should be fine."

"But Harry's never had a seizure before," Jessica replied, still looking upset. "What caused it?"

"Pomfrey couldn't find a cause," Adele replied. Seeing that her siblings needed reassurance, she tried to look positive. "Let's let Harry rest tonight and we can check on him in the morning. If he wakes up I'm sure that Madame Pomfrey will let us know."

"Adele's right," Dom agreed, picking up on the forced cheerfulness in his twin's voice. He knew Adele was trying to stay in good spirits for the sake of Isabelle and Jessica but he could tell that she was also seriously worried. "Let's go down to dinner and let Harry get his rest."

Adele let Jess and Izzy head away first and she took her brother's arm in hers and they headed down the hallway. After a moment, she asked, "What do you think?"

Dom shook his head, still worried about his little brother. "Harry has never had a seizure before. And if Madame Pomfrey can't find what caused it…"

"It might happen again," Adele finished, nodding thoughtfully. "So… what? One of us follows Harry around everywhere? A-and what about Quidditch? I mean, is it safe for Harry to be on a broom right now? What?" she added, not sure what Dom was finding funny.

Dom chuckled and patted his sister's arm. "Ad, for all we know, Harry skipped breakfast and seized because of low blood sugar."

"Right," Adele sighed, something about the whole thing making the hairs on the back of her neck prickle. "I just don't like it."

Dom stopped and turned to pull her into a hug. "None of us like it, Addie," he said, softly, patting his sister's back as she hugged him. He wished he could give her a comforting look but without being able to see his expressions always seemed to be neutral. "But Harry's a tough kid. I'm sure he'll be fine."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

But when Adele, Dom, Jess, and Izzy went to see Harry the following morning, they were surprised to see their parents in the Hospital Wing as well.

"Mom, what's going on?" Adele asked, a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach as she looked from her parents to Harry who seemed uncomfortable looking at the rest of his family.

"I'm afraid what happened yesterday happened again last night," Madame Pomfrey explained. "Harry had two more seizures last night. I'm going to have Harry start taking an anticonvulsant potion daily. Hopefully that will help the seizures subside." She turned to Harry and added, "You're condition is manageable, Potter."

"But not curable," Lily clarified, not sure what she was feeling at the moment.

"I'm afraid not," Pomfrey replied, sadly. "But with treatment, Harry should be able to resume an almost normal life."

While Pomfrey discussed Harry's condition with James and Lily in her office, Adele, Dominic, Jessica, and Isabelle gathered around their brother's bed. "How're you feeling, Harry?" Dom asked, cautiously.

"Tired," Harry replied, simply. Looking at his siblings, he shrugged. "I'm sorry I scared you all."

But Adele waved off the apology. "Harry, we're your family and we love you. Don't worry about scaring us, or anything like that."

Harry just nodded, still feeling embarrassed about his seizure the previous day. And in all honesty, he'd been relieved that his family hadn't been in the hospital wing when he'd had the two other episodes last night. He just wanted to pretend nothing had happened and move on with his life. Was this the disability he was doomed to live with? Why couldn't it be something fixed and permanent like Dom's blindness? Why did Harry's have to be something unpredictable?

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When Harry was finally released from the hospital wing the following day, he was surprised to see that while Dom, Jess, and Izzy were there to greet him when he got to the Gryffindor common room, Adele was missing. "Where's Addie?" he asked, curiously.

"Rowena Medical Complex," Jessica replied. "Mom took her over this morning to get the cast taken off her arm."

"That's good news," Harry replied, thinking that it was nice that one of his sisters finally caught a break. But after a moment, he wordlessly headed upstairs to his dormitory and started getting changed for the Quidditch try-outs later that afternoon. When he came back down the stairs, he saw Jess and Izzy looking shocked. "What?" Harry asked, not sure what was so surprising.

"Harry, you just got out of the hospital wing after having _multiple_ seizures!" Jess replied, not sure what her brother was trying to prove. "And now you're going to play _Quidditch_? Are you mental?"

"What am I supposed to do?" Harry protested, angrily. "Just give up everything I love? I'm okay right now, aren't I? Might as well make the most of it."

'**And what happens if you have another seizure while you're on your broom?'** Izzy signed, giving her brother her best 'are you an idiot?' look.

"If I feel like something's wrong, I'll land straight away," Harry promised, wishing he'd just made a run for the door instead of stopping. He just wanted his life to get back to normal. Without another word or waiting for his brother and sisters to say anything else, he strode quickly for the door and was through the portrait hole.

Dominic sighed, knowing that this was _not_ going to end well. He knew full well how stubborn his little brother was, and right now that was beyond dangerous. They had no way of knowing if Harry's recent epilepsy was a result of the curse or a prelude to something far worse.

"Okay, we're not just letting Harry go, are we?" Jessica asked, looking at her big brother and little sister.

"No bloody way," Izzy rasped, shaking her head, resolvedly.

"Good," Jess replied, heading for the door. "Then let's go save our git of a brother from himself."

For all that he'd complained about his younger sisters growing up, Dom had to smile as he, Izzy, and Jess made their way out of the castle and down to the Quidditch pitch, taking seats near the middle of the stadium on the lower level—the better to get down to the field in case something happened to Harry, which it would.

Dominic and Adele had been only 6 the night Voldemort had tried to kill Harry. Addie had been too scared to move and Dom had finally grabbed his sister's hand and headed for the closet, telling her to sit tight and keep the door closed before running for the room Harry and Izzy shared. Stopping in the hallway as he heard crashing downstairs, Dom wondered just what he was doing when he heard Harry start to cry. Without another thought, Dom ran for Harry's room just as his mother came in.

Lily didn't ask her oldest son what he was doing. Instead, she grabbed Harry from his crib and handed him to Dominic and said, quickly, "Take your brother and hide up in the attic! Don't look back! Now, Dom! Go!"

Dom didn't need telling twice and held his little brother tight as the two headed upstairs.

Bringing his thoughts back to the present, Dom hated the fact that he couldn't see. Ever since Harry was born, Dom had always felt it was his responsibility to look out for his baby brother.

Adele never needed anyone to watch her back. If anyone tried anything with her, they'd find her a force to be reckoned with.

Because of their respective birth defects, Isabelle and Jessica were usually the focus of Mum and Dad's attention.

And that had left Dom to always keep an eye on Harry.

Something that Dom hadn't been able to do for the past 5 years.

He was sharply pulled from his thoughts when he felt someone—was it Izzy or Jess?—grab his arm in panic.

Dom heard the bludgers whistling through the air. Heard a thud as it collided with someone—judging by the loud gasps from his sisters the someone had been Harry. Taking one of the girls' arms, he went with them down to the field just as he heard something hit the ground, hard. "Harry!" Dom shouted, cane held out in front of him.

When Dom finally stopped where Harry lay unmoving on the ground, he fell to his knees, reaching out a hand towards his brother. "Harry, you bloody idiot," he muttered. But when he heard Harry groan, he sighed with relief. At least his brother was alive. "You alright?" Dom asked, hopefully. But when Harry didn't respond, he felt a rising sense of panic. "Harry?"

"Someone get Madame Pomfrey!" one of the Weasley twins shouted.

"He just stopped in midair," Katie Bell said, worry thick in her voice. "Then he started shaking."

Another seizure. Dom shakily stood up, backing away from his brother. He hated being blind! He couldn't see how bad Harry was hurt and he hadn't seen him having yet another seizure while on his broom. Backing up until he felt the wood of the walls of the Quidditch pitch, Dom felt hot tears sting his eyes. He wiped them away furiously as he listened to everyone clamoring over Harry.

He felt like the worst big brother in the world.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Summary: Harry's life gets worse, Jessica's life possibly gets better and Adele shows why she's the wiser older sister.

Chapter 4

* * *

A soft, steady beeping brought Harry out of unconsciousness and he groaned at the pain in his back which seemed to be building in intensity. He squinted as a blurry figure stood from a chair in the corner and approached the bed.

"I'd ask how you're feeling, but that's probably a stupid question," Adele said as she sat on the edge of her brother's bed and slid his glasses onto his face.

Able to see his sister clearly, Harry could see that her arm was in a brace and sling but she looked okay otherwise. "What happened?" he asked, remembering only being on his broom.

"You had another seizure, a bludger smashed into your back, and you fell off your broom," Adele replied, her tone even. She wasn't exactly sure of what to say to her little brother. When Mum and Dad found out about Harry's accident, they'd both looked like they wanted to read Harry the riot act. But Adele wanted to talk to Harry first. "What were you thinking?"

Harry didn't know what to say mostly because he didn't know what he'd been thinking. He was just being stupid, trying to prove that a couple seizures didn't mean he had to give up what he loved most. Trying to sit up a bit, he let out a gasp of pain as it felt like someone was driving a knife into his back.

"Take it easy," Addie ordered, getting up quickly to help her brother, being mindful of the back brace he wore and the IV feeding him various medications. Once Harry was sitting up, she sat back down again and sighed, heavily. "You could have died, you know."

Harry tried to nod but when he realized he couldn't, he looked at Addie. "How bad?"

Addie sighed again as she considered what to say next. Deciding on being straightforward, she replied, "The doctors aren't sure yet. The bludger slammed into your back, fracturing your spine. They're not sure if the nerve damage is permanent or not." She didn't say anything else for a few moments, letting Harry absorb the latest blow. "Right now you're experiencing what's called spinal shock. Basically, that means no motor function below the waist and minimal sensation."

Harry couldn't say anything to that as he looked at his lower body. With the back pain settling back down to a manageable level, he was now more aware of the lack of feeling in his legs. What had he done? He'd suddenly gone from a normal teenager to epileptic to paralyzed all within the space of a few days. The worst part was the last he'd done to himself. He'd told Oliver Wood he was cleared to be flying and even when he'd felt lightheaded and his body started tingling again he'd just chocked it up to the usual exhilaration of being on his broom.

Looking up at Adele, Harry could tell that she wanted to chew him out for what he'd done, but at the same time, there was also a sympathetic look in her eye that indicated she not only understood why he'd gone up in the air but she would have likely done the same thing if their positions had been reversed. "How mad are Mum and Dad?"

Addie gave a short laugh and a sigh that seemed to say 'that's my baby brother'. "Dad's upset—partly because you can't play Quidditch now. Mum's livid because you went out flying after _three_ seizures." Her expression darkened as she added, "But you need to talk to Dom."

Harry was puzzled about that. Why would he need to talk to his brother? "What for?" Harry asked, not understanding.

Addie put her hand on Harry's and replied, "Dominic thinks he failed you because he's blind. He thinks if he'd been able to see he could have kept you from getting hurt." Lightly smacking Harry's forearm she added, "I, of course—being the much wiser older sister—know that Dom, Jess, Izzy, and I could all have been in perfect health and the whole lot of us wouldn't have had a prayer of talking you out of going down to the Quidditch pitch."

"So… you're not mad at me?" Harry asked, hopefully.

Adele shook her head as she stood. "No, I'm _very_ bloody pissed off at you, Harry," she replied, glancing at the door when she heard someone coming down the hallway. "But I'm going to wait and see if you recover from this before we get into it." Again Harry seemed puzzled and Addie finally explained, "If you get your legs back, you and I are going to have a very long talk about taking stupid risks."

It was than that Harry noticed his sister's use of the word 'if'. As in 'if he recovered'. And apparently there was a chance that he might not. "And… if I can't walk?"

"Harry, if… If you're never able to walk again, I figure… I figure that'll be punishment enough," Addie replied, sadly.

"Is that likely?" Harry wanted to know. He knew Adele was always honest and straightforward and he wanted that right now.

Adele hesitated for a long time before she slowly sat back down on Harry's bed. "The good news is that your spinal cord wasn't completely severed," she replied, wishing she could give her brother better assurance. "But there was serious nerve damage. Right now… it doesn't look good."

Harry didn't like the way Addie was answering him. It was as though she wanted to spare him from further bad news. "Addie… Just tell me."

Addie let out a long sigh and sat up just a bit. "Okay. Right now, the doctors and healers say there's only about a 5% chance of you regaining full use of your legs. Most likely outcome…" Her voice choked a bit as she went on. "You won't be able to walk again."

Harry took that in and thinking about the other day, he felt even worse.

Paralyzed…

Just thinking the word seemed cruel. Harry wasn't sure what he was supposed to do about this. What could he do? And more than that, what would happen to him now? If he couldn't walk he'd be in a wheelchair, surely. At home, his parents would have to make sure the house was reorganized to accommodate him and they'd already had to do that once for Dominic.

Looking up as her parents came into the room, Addie noticed how quiet they were and just gave Harry a last look and a gentle hug before she stood and left the hospital room, closing the door behind her.

Preparing for the lecture he knew was coming, Harry just waited until his parents were sitting on either side of his bed before he simply asked, "Well?"

Lily took a deep breath and said, "I'm not going to say anything, Harry."

Harry was floored by that. "But—"

"'But' nothing, Harry," Lily replied, calmly. "It's too late to say anything. It's done. There's no undoing it."

James gave his son a disappointed look as he asked, "Why would you take that sort of risk, Harry? You knew about the curse, so why would you…?"

"Dad," Harry replied, trying to get his mum and dad to understand. "At first I thought that my scar was… and then with the seizures, I thought… I thought I'd already been affected. I figured if I got hurt, Madame Pomfrey could just fix me up." When his parents said nothing, he sighed. "Addie told me it was bad." After another silence, he asked, "So what now?"

As upset as Lily was with Harry, it nearly broke her heart to hear her son talk about his injury with such acceptance. "You'll be in the hospital for 2-3 months," she replied, trying to focus. "Then physical therapy and… and learning to get around in a wheelchair, most likely."

"And school?" Harry asked, wondering if he'd even be able to go back to Hogwarts.

"We'll figure it out," Lily promised him with all her heart. "Same for the house, your dormitory…"

"Quidditch?" Harry asked, certain that he was in for a lecture now.

But to Harry's surprise, James let out a snort of laughter. "Harry… is that _all_ you think about?"

"I get that from you, Dad," Harry said, not feeling like smiling in response.

"No Quidditch," Lily said, trying not to cry. She'd hated the game ever since she was a student for the main reason that she'd seen some pretty awful injuries resulting from flying around on brooms up to 100 feet in the air. And now two of her children had been injured because of the godforsaken sport.

x

Out in the hallway, Adele practically jumped when Dominic suddenly appeared at her right elbow. Smacking her twin with her good hand, she snapped, "Don't _do_ that!"

"How's Harry?" Dom asked, wondering if his little brother was awake.

"He's awake," Addie said with a shrug, even though her brother couldn't see her. "Mum and Dad are with him right now."

Dom nodded, wishing he could see his brother—actually _see_ that he was alright. "This is my fault," he said, running a hand through his messy black hair, making it even more catawampus.

When Dom started moving about anxiously, Adele put a hand on his arm to still him. "Dom? Dom." When her twin stopped moving, she said, "This is _not_ your fault. Okay? You didn't make Harry go up on that broom."

"I didn't try to stop him, either," Dom protested. "I could have said something to Oliver Wood or Mum and Dad."

Adele pulled her brother into a one-armed hug, biting back a wince as the action jostled her right arm. When Dom hugged her back, she said, "There's no way you could have stopped Harry. You know as well as I do that our brother is bloody stubborn as hell." Pulling away slightly she added, "Just like someone else I know."

"It's just…" Dom hesitated, not sure if Addie would understand.

"It's just what?" Addie wanted to know.

Dom sighed and finally said, "I've always looked out for Harry, you know?"

"I know," Adele replied, understanding completely. "But incase you've forgotten, you're not alone in the category of 'Eldest Potter Sibling' you know."

Dom stiffened slightly at that but he knew she was right. "I just feel so helpless, Ad."

"Yeah, I know," Addie murmured, softly. "Look, honestly… being the protective older sibling isn't something I'm used to. I always just kind of left that to you. You know, since technically…"

Dom's hearing, while much more acute since losing his sight, still wasn't able to pick up what his sister mumbled at the end of the sentence. "Since technically… what?"

Adele let out a resigned sigh and repeated, "Since technically… you are… older than me."

Dom's face broke into a smile and he let out a soft laugh as he said, "Wait, you… you're actually admitting that between the two of us—even though we are twins—that I'm the eldest."

"You were born first, so…. Yes," Addie ground out between clenched teeth before punching her twin hard in the upper arm. After a moment, though, she said, "I'm sorry I never helped with keeping an eye on Harry. I should have, you know? You shouldn't have had to do everything alone." She smiled and put a gentle hand on his upper arm where she'd punched him a moment ago. "Especially since someone should have been looking out for you, too."

"When Voldemort found me and Harry," Dom said, quietly. "I knew I should do something. Run for cover or something. But I was just frozen with fear." He made his way to a bench nearby and sat down slowly, hearing Adele's footsteps following. When he heard her sit down next to him, he went on. "I watched Voldemort fire that curse and I thought… I thought 'At least Harry wouldn't die alone. At least I was with him'. When the curse backfired and I saw Harry was still alive… I thought that just proved that I was the only one who could keep my little brother safe."

Adele put her arm around him and laid her head on his shoulder.

Dom reached out a hand and gave Addie's knee a gentle squeeze. "You think I'm a bad brother?"

"I think you're an overworked brother," Adele replied, her head still on Dom's shoulder. After a moment, she asked, "So what do we do about Harry?"

Dom shook his head, not sure. "We just do the best we can. What else can we do?"

"Lock him in his room forever?" Addie suggested.

Dom let out a wry chuckle and asked, "You think that would actually work?"

Adele straightened up and turned to look back at Harry's hospital room. "Probably not."

* * *

In the Hogwarts library, Jessica Potter sat in a quiet corner looking through every book she could find on the curse that had plagued her family including several from the Restricted Section. With her brother now affected, Jess now knew that there was obviously no way to avoid the curse, but maybe—just maybe—there was some way to undo it.

The hours ticked by as Jess went over ever word of the books she'd collected. She'd even found some information she didn't already know but how to turn it into something that she could actually use to help her brothers and sisters was something that was eluding her. There was plenty of information on casting the curse itself and what the curse would do to the people affected but very little about how to hold it off and next to nothing about countering it. Most witches—once affected—used permanent forms of birth control to prevent having multiple children but that was hardly an option in this case.

When she moved her right leg, Jess winced as she readjusted her position. She hated thinking of her own disability, especially since Harry was now going to have to deal with a spinal cord injury complicated by epilepsy. But something she'd very briefly discussed with her parents a few years back was popping up in her mind again.

With the curse preventing regrowth of Jessica's leg, James and Lily had been against the idea of amputation. But Jess had been looking into things the past year or so and with current magical advances on artificial limbs, she'd have a far more normal life than with the leg brace and crutches.

Looking at her right leg, Jess could see the crisscross of scars from surgeries and she wondered if this would be the right thing for her.

Catching movement out of the corner of her eye, Jess looked up as Hermione sat down at the table. "How's Harry?" Hermione asked, without preamble.

Jess rubbed her eyes and shrugged. "He's in spinal shock right now. The doctors aren't really hopeful right now, but…"

"So what are you doing here so late?" Hermione asked, taking note of all the books and scattered papers.

Holding out one of the open books on top of the pile, Jess pointed to the heading and said, "_Proprius primoris malum_. Latin for 'permanent first injury'."

"This is the curse on your brothers and sisters?" Hermione asked, reading what little there was about the curse in the book.

"That's it," Jess replied with a depressed sigh. "There's nothing about reversing it, though." After a moment, though, she said, "Hermione, do you mind if I bounce something off of you?"

"Go ahead," Hermione replied, leaning back in her chair a bit.

Jess leaned forward and after a moment she started explaining about her own disability including the surgeries over the years and the fact that even with countless hours of physical therapy she was still unable to walk without the crutches. "I just keep thinking," she finished, getting to the point. "That things aren't likely to get much better for me and they're going to get worse for Harry."

Hermione had already picked up on what Jessica was thinking but had let the older girl talk out the situation. "If you're able to walk uninhibited," Hermione said, thinking on the problem. "You'd be able to help out with Harry. Right now your parents would have to deal with Adele's physical therapy, helping Dominic with his disability, making sure Isabelle is doing alright, and helping you while also dealing with Harry's current injury."

"Mum and Dad could use the assistance," Jess said with a shrug. "And I'd like to have a more normal life."

"Have you ever talked about this with your parents?" Hermione asked, curiously.

"Once or twice," Jess admitted. "But they never really liked the idea. Since healers wouldn't be able to regrow my leg, Mum didn't want to put me through all that."

Hermione considered things carefully. She understood what Jessica was thinking but her hesitation had nothing to do with James and Lily Potter, but rather what Harry would think.

Hermione knew that Harry had been through a lot in the past few days and she also knew that if Jessica did go through with what she was considering that Harry would think that it was somehow his fault. With that in mind, Hermione said, "I think you should talk to your parents and Harry first."

Jess nodded, quietly. She'd figured that would be the response but she was also hoping that Hermione would approve of the choice. But it was true and Jess knew that she couldn't make her decision without her parents' approval.

* * *

When Jess had arrived at the hospital Saturday afternoon, she, James and Lily had stepped out into the hallway to talk. Realizing what he needed to do, Dom had finally gone into Harry's room and pulled a chair over to the side of the bed. Harry was quiet, no doubt waiting to be chewed out for flying the other day. Leaning forward and feeling for Harry's hand, Dom said, "I know why you did it, Harry."

"Yeah?" Harry asked, sounding surprised. Dom figured he'd tried to sit up on his own, judging by the sharp his of pain coming from Harry's direction.

Wincing in sympathy, Dom nodded. "I've been looking out for you since you were a baby," he replied with a sad smile. "When I lost my sight I kept trying to do everything the way I'd always done it. I didn't want to let the blindness define me."

"Just like I didn't want to give up flying just because I was suddenly epileptic," Harry replied.

Dom gave his brother a smile. "Exactly. But both of us are going to have to change some things, alright?"

"Like what?" Harry asked, not sure if he understood.

Dom leaned forward a bit and replied, "Like… You need to stop taking stupid risks. And I need to start asking for help sometimes."

"I don't make things easy, do I?" Harry asked, thinking of all the times Dom had tried to guide him without success.

"Neither do I," Dom admitted.

"This wasn't your fault, you know," Harry assured his brother.

Dom smiled and said, "Harry, little thing about big brothers: They watch out for their younger siblings. When something bad happens, big brothers wonder if there's something they could have done to prevent it."

Harry started to reply when he yawned, feeling worn out. "I think I'm going to grab a nap," he said, yawning again.

Dom nodded in acknowledgment and stood, making his way to the door, stopping when he heard his sister and parents still talking.

"—don't like this, Jess. I mean, we've tried to avoid this since you were a baby," Lily was saying, sounding a bit upset.

"But Mum," Jess replied, sounding both annoyed and determined. "This would give me a real chance at a normal life. I wouldn't have to worry about the brace. I'd be able to walk."

There was a pause and Dominic wondered if perhaps his family had seen him. But then he heard his father saying, "Lily, Jessica's right. And I think we should have done it in the first place."

"But James—" Lily protested at first. But with a sigh that signaled she was admitting defeat, she said, "Alright. I'll speak to the healers in the morning."

Dom didn't say anything as he went back to the chair by Harry's bed and sat down, listening to his brother's breathing and the indistinct murmur of conversation from his parents and sister.


	5. Chapter 5

AUTHOR'S NOTES: So I'm planning on starting a new story but I told myself that I couldn't do that unless I finished a new chapter for one of my older stories. So since I had this partly done, I did a quick wrap up on this chapter.

Chapter 5

* * *

If you asked her, Lily Potter honestly couldn't say how many times she'd seen her children go into the hospital. After a while, she'd lost count and the various waiting rooms seemed to become an almost second home. And it was always for the same reasons—the healers and doctors trying to repair some permanent damage caused by the curse laid on her when she'd first gotten pregnant with Dominic and Adele.

But this time was different. For once, it actually felt like one of her children's injuries would actually be fixed in a way.

Jessica was already in surgery and despite what she was facing, she'd been anything but nervous as the doctors wheeled her into the operating room an hour ago. In fact, she was unusually calm and collected for someone facing surgery to amputate a limb, even giving her mother a reassuring smile before the doors to the operating room closed behind her.

As Lily sat in the surgical waiting room, she silently berated herself for not doing this sooner.

Disabled witches and wizards were rare, and at first Lily had wanted Jess to have as much of a normal life as possible. But looking back on things, she realized now that the best thing she could have done for her daughter was letting the healers amputate Jessica's leg.

Thinking on her children, Lily's thoughts drifted to Harry who was one floor above in the pediatric ward.

xx

Currently, James was sitting with Harry who had had another seizure during the night, although thankfully it hadn't been as serious as before, thanks to the new anticonvulsant medications the nurses had started Harry on.

The doctors and healers had been very diligent about keeping Harry's epilepsy under control as the seizures could potentially exacerbate the injuries to his spinal cord, even though Harry was still in the back and neck brace. It was even possible, in fact, that the damage from a seizure could cause permanent damage to Harry's spine, or even extend the effects of the paralysis. When Lily had asked what that had meant, one of the healers explained that thrashing about as a result of a grand mal seizure could potentially damage Harry's spine even more and instead of losing sensation and motor function from the waist down, Harry could find himself paralyzed from the chest down or even becoming a full quadriplegic.

For James and Lily, the mere thought of their youngest son becoming paralyzed from the neck down was unimaginable. And yet both parents knew that it wasn't entirely an impossible notion. Even though the doctors and healers had been trying to remain cautiously optimistic about Harry's condition, they wanted to make sure that Lily and James understood the risks involved with the combination of their son's epilepsy and spinal injury.

And there wasn't just Harry to think about. If Harry's injury was made worse, it would also impact Jessica, Isabelle, Dominic, and Adele since they would have to help take care of their brother.

Thinking about her other children brought Lily's thoughts back to Jess. She remembered what the doctors and healers had told her the previous day about her daughter's surgery and recovery—that Jess would still have to rely on the crutches for at least two months before she would be able to learn to walk with the new prosthetic. But Lily was still encouraged by the notion that her daughter would be walking on her own without support, even if it would be a fair amount of time before that actually happened.

Sitting with his youngest son who was still sleeping off the effects of the seizure the night before, James mentally berated himself for placing such a strong emphasis on playing Quidditch over the years. Of all his children, Adele and Harry had thrown themselves hardest into the game and both had paid a terrible price for it.

And at the same time, both were amongst the best flyers Hogwarts had ever seen. Harry was even the youngest Seeker in more than 100 years and even better James himself in the air.

Addie was the same way. She was swift and agile on a broom and when James had watched her during Quidditch games, he was blown away by how effortlessly she dodged her opponents.

When Lily had called him from the hospital after their eldest daughter's accident, James had been worried about her future as a Quidditch player. Especially when he had been told just how badly his daughter's injuries had been.

Thankfully, Adele's broken arm seemed to have healed properly and the physical therapists expected her to regain up to 93% of the function of her arm. She would always have some stiffness in her elbow and wrist and would likely need a specialty brace for her wrist and fingers later on, but for the most part, the PTs expected an almost complete recovery.

But Harry would be another story. The odds of him walking again were extremely slim and James knew that if Harry hadn't been so obsessed with Quidditch… Finding out his son was an epileptic had been bad enough. The idea that Harry had a disorder that could strike at any time and for any reason was scary. But when the doctors had reported that the bludger impact coupled with the fall from almost 40 feet had fractured Harry's spinal cord—likely causing permanent injury—that had been even worse.

The other issue that kept weighing on James was what would happen once Harry was released from the hospital. True, that would be months and months from now, but it was still something he couldn't ignore. Harry would be in a wheelchair and would possibly need help with even simple acts like going to the bathroom and getting dressed. And the whole family would have to be aware if Harry started developing pressure sores from being seated constantly. Not to mention the fact that even with everything else, Harry would have to be incredibly diligent about being on his anti-convulsant medications.

And before all this, Harry would still have deal with physical therapy and learning how to function without the use of his legs.

Bowing his head, James silently prayed to whatever higher power existed, that somehow his son would catch a break.

xx

Coming out of anesthesia was always an interesting experience, Jessica thought very slowly started waking up after the surgery. It was hard to tell just what was happening and sometimes the experience took up to 24 hours, depending on what medicines she was on.

Her right leg felt weird and at first, Jess chalked it up to phantom pains from the amputation. But as she slowly woke up more and more, she realized that this didn't feel like phantom pain. In fact… there was no pain at all.

It took a while for her to fully regain consciousness and open her eyes, but once she did, she saw her parents, sisters standing around the bed looking astounded. "What's going on?" Jess muttered, blinking to try and clear away the last mental cobwebs.

'**See for yourself,'** Izzy signed before grinning and pointing to Jessica's right leg.

Slowly sitting up, Jess froze in absolute amazement as she stared at the limb in question. There were no scars, no signs of the deformities she'd been born with… Just a normal, healthy, perfect leg. After a few minutes, she felt happy tears fall down her face as she wiggled her toes and rotated her ankle. "How?" she asked, looking at her family who seemed just as elated but puzzled as she was.

"No idea," Lily replied, shrugging as she put a gentle hand on Jess' shoulder. "The healers were patching up the incision from removing your leg and they noticed that the spells were helping your leg grow back. No one knows why…"

Jess considered that for a while as she ran a hand along her newly healed leg. She didn't want to look a gift horse in the mouth, but there was something she was thinking about and she had to say it. "So… am I still cursed… or what?"

James let out a deep sigh, not sure of what to say. He'd had the same thought, but even if Jessica _was_ somehow free of the curse, that still didn't answer the question as to how. But if they could figure that out, maybe there was a way to fix Dominic, Adele, Isabelle, and Harry after all.


End file.
